Maximum Ride:Tainted freedom
by flymypretties
Summary: Due to some, erm, let's just say...technical difficulties, I can't post chapters 2 to 8 just yet. To view them, go to


Disclaimer:

This is my little story which I wrote. Remember in The Angel Experiment, when Max and the others free a bunch of other mutants. Well, this is about them, and it picks up from when they are rescued. All quotes by Max and other original characters have been taken from the book by James Patterson.  
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**Tainted Freedom**

Chapter One- Kids Like Us

"Elf, Elf, something's happening." The anxious whispering penetrated my sleep, and I woke.

"Nova? What is it?" I opened my eyes and stretched my wings a little, being careful not to hit them on the walls of the dog crate. Craning my neck, I could just meet Nova's gaze, her large eyes exaggerated by nervous tension.

"Erasers?" I asked. I hoped I was wrong. God, I hoped it wasn't them.

"I...I don't think so. They seem... different. More like us. And - Elf, there are no scientists with them. They're coming in from the sewers... on their own."

On their own? Was this a cruel and twisted 'test' conducted by scientists whose consciences had long since died? It was possible. But then, living here, anything was.

"They're through the corridor. Now they've reached the computer lab."

I strained to hear through the thick curtains and glass wall that separated us from the intruders. I could hear hushed voices, but I couldn't distinguish between words.

"I'll rouse the others," I said. Whatever was happening out there, we all needed to be awake right now. At least, those of us who could fight.

"Binda, Titan," I whispered. "Frieda, Cactus, and... Total? Wake up! We have intruders!"

Four pairs of eyes gradually turned to meet mine. Cactus woke for a second, then his eyes closed. Of course, he has to be having one of his visions now, I thought to myself. My life would be too easy otherwise. I knew it wasn't his fault though. Cactus sees things, visions of the future, in his dreams. When that happens, it's nearly impossible to wake him.

"Elf, what's happening? Who are those people outside?"

The murmur came from the cage to my right. "Titan, wake as many of the other... experiments... as you can. There are mutants like us in the computer lab."

"Six of them. They're all around the same age as us." This was an update from Nova, who could sense who they were more distinctly as they drew nearer.

"Like us!" Titan's exclamation was barely above a whisper, but it had a big effect. Footsteps, drawing nearer to the 'storage room' we were in. Then the curtain was pulled aside, and a blond boy, who looked around eight years old, gaped at us from behind the  
glass. He had two wings protruding from his back. I heard Nova gasp in shock, and was aware that I had done the same. Either this was some incredibly devious new test, or there really were mutant kids breaking into the lab. Looking behind the stationary figure, I saw five others clustered around a computer. One girl, who looked to be the one of the older ones, was scrolling through files on one of the few active computers. They were all mutants, all avian. The girl was conversing with another boy. Black wings emerged from his back, matching the colour of his hair.

"I'm going to print it, and then we should get the heck out of here. Start getting the others together."

Ah, so she was the leader of the group. She stood up and grabbed the many sheets of paper that were spewing from the printer.

"Come on! Let's split! Let's go!"

She sounded anxious, but hey, apart from the School, this is the closest to hell anyone can get. I reckoned that gave anyone an automatic right to be nervous. Movement from one of the cages nearby caught my eye. It was Nova, trying frantically to get my attention without making any noise or large movements.

"Erasers, lots of them" she mouthed soundlessly at me.

"Uh, just a second, Max." This came from the boy who had uncovered the storage room. They all turned to see what he was talking about. Four pairs of eyes widened as they caught sight of us. One of them spun around, but didn't react in shock like the others. For a moment, I had the sinking feeling that he had known about us beforehand. Then, one of his companions described something to him, and I realised that he was blind. Take that, stupid paranoia. A little girl clutching a teddy bear screamed. She was silenced by the black winged boy, her screams dying in her throat as he cupped his hand gently over her mouth. The leader, Max, I presumed, pressed the control pad on the wall. The glass door, the only barrier between us, slid open. Cautiously, they stepped inside our storage room. My heart was racing at a million miles per hour.

What's happening? Why are they here? And...will they try to hurt us?


End file.
